Present Perfect is used when the action is still in progress, or it has an effect on the present. Present Perfect Simple: I have cut my finger. (the action is finished, but my finger is bleeding, so it has an effect on the present) Present Perfect Continuous: I have been learning English for two years. (I'm still learning it) Present Perfect is used when you can still do whatever the sentence is about. So if you ask a friend: "Have you seen this film?", it means that they can still watch it, so the action is not finished. If you ask "Did you see the film yesterday?", it refers to an event in the past - you can't watch a film yesterday, so here we use the Past Simple. Similarly, you can ask "Have you ever been to Italy?" (from your birth until now, so the time period you are referring to still lasts) - and the other person can reply: "I have been to Italy twice." (so far, but he/she can still go there again) "I was there three years ago." ("three years ago" is a finished period of time, so here we use the Past Simple). If you are searching for someone, you can say: Have you seen Tom this morning? (it's still morning, so there is a chance to see him before noon) Did you see Tom this morning? (it's afternoon or evening - the morning is over, so you can't see him this morning any more) Have you seen Tom recently? (since we last met - you don't set a certain time period, so we use Present Perfect here) Did you see Tom yesterday? (yesterday is over, so we use the Past Simple) Hope this helps.